With this single, Freddie Atlas has shown in one piece that he has a lot of talent. Not only are the vocals great, but the overall arrangement and composition are top notch. This is just a very classy piece. It should appeal to a wide range of listeners.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2013 Volume 4 at lulu.com/strangesound.

Track by Track Review

VainThis is a pretty song that’s almost three songs in one. The sounds of a storm open this. Then classical styled instrumentation rises up, making this feel a bit like soundtrack music or a symphonic composition. A little past the one minute mark, piano rises up, bringing in a new ballad style. There is a jazzy kind of element to it there. As the vocals join it rises up into something more like the moody modern progressive rock of bands like Porcupine Tree. The vocal delivery is slow, gentle and classy. Backing vocals bring more elements to the table. At times it leans towards adult contemporary music. The use of multiple layers of vocals is great. There are moments here that call to mind the best of the band 10cc. It also touches onto something a bit like the jazzier side of Pink Floyd later as some vocals soar across the top and piano solos amidst some lush textures. A little before the four and half minute mark, it drops back to what is essentially a classical piano solo. That takes it out, as essentially the third piece of the song.

Overall, it is not simply to classify or limit this to one specific genre or style. With those varied section it almost feels like a classical suite. Yet it is, overall, good solid pop music. Freddie Atlas clearly has a lot of talent. It’s tough to judge an artist from one song. On the other hand, this one song has a lot of variety and diversity built into it. Still, it’s enough to get the listener wanting more.

(Editor's Note - Music Street Journal is set up for the allocation of albums, not singles - particularly not one-song singles. So, in the instances, like this one, where we've covered single song releases, we've had to make some adaptations for formatting. In the case of this one, just imagine both track review and overall review reading as one set of copy. )